The Art of Getting By
by TeamHarry95
Summary: Five times Lincoln was there for Michael, and one time Michael was there for him. A glimpse into the brothers' childhood and the difficulties they faced growing up without parents. This fic contains slightly dark themes, but it's main focus is bromance/friendship. Rated for swearing and mild violence in later chapters. Enjoy!


It was a beautiful day, weather-wise: the sun was high and bright, there wasn't a cloud in the baby blue sky and a gentle breeze rustled through the trees and bushes.

Michael, aged six, was playing with a Rubik's cube in his room. He had possessed the talent of problem-solving ever since he could walk and he only had the red side to complete (six moves away!) when Lincoln came into the room. The look on the older boy's face was one of absolute heart-break, opposing the beauty outside: it was something you wouldn't expect to have to see from a sixteen year old. To someone older, it would have been evident that something tragic had occurred. Most would have assumed that something to be death.

Michael looked briefly up from his puzzle and upon seeing his brother's expression, he asked, "What's wrong, Linc? Wanna come play with me? That would cheer you up, I bet."

Lincoln bit his lower lip to stop its quivering, and then took a deep, steadying breath and offered Michael a little smile.

"Thanks Mike, that's really thoughtful of you." He went to sit with his little brother, dreading the moment when he would have to deliver the news.

"Look, I'm almost done!" Michael held up the Rubik's cube. He stuck his tongue out as he did the next few moves and when finished, placed it on the floor and beamed at his older brother.

"Wow, you must be the smartest six year old in the whole country! Way to go, buddy." They high-fived and Michael moved on to his array of 1000-piece puzzles. "Which one should we do today? Marine animals or African safari?"

Lincoln grinned, familiar with Michael's two favourite choices. "You choose."

He promptly took the African safari box and dumped the pieces onto the hardwood. The brothers set to work on it in silence. After a few minutes, and little progress in the puzzle, Michael piqued up. "You forgot to tell me why you looked so sad before."

Lincoln decided that he _had _to tell Michael now, but he had no idea how to go about doing it. He himself was on the verge of a breakdown and that was the last thing he wanted his brother to witness. Somehow, he managed to sum up enough courage and strength to break it to him.

"Hey Mike, do you remember when grandpa died last year? How he went to Heaven, where _his_ parents are?"

Michael nodded. "Heaven is that happy place in the sky, right?"

Lincoln swallowed. "Yeah, kiddo, that's right." He paused before going on. "Well I found out today that - that Mom is now up there with grandpa. In that happy place in the s-sky." He chewed on the inside of his lip and tried his hardest to keep composed.

"What are you talking about?" The younger boy went on with his puzzle wearing a funny expression, as if what Lincoln was saying was positively ridiculous. "I saw Mommy yesterday. She didn't look old like grandpa, so how could she be in Heaven? Don't you have to have wrinkles and white hair before you can die?"

These questions nearly broke Lincoln, but he maintained a steady voice and he replied. "Sometimes, people die before they get old, from sickness or by an accident. It's not fair. Something was wrong in Mom's brain and the doctors couldn't fix it in time…."

Michael looked up from the floor at last with a look of dawning on his small face. "So she isn't here anymore? We're not going to hug or kiss her again?…I can't show her my Rubik's cube?"

A few tears threatened to fall from the sixteen year old's eyes as he looked at his crestfallen brother. "No, she's not here anymore, but you know what? I know for a fact that she's looking down on us right now, and she's _very _proud of how hard you worked on it. I can feel her heart filling with joy and pride."  
Michael nodded, sniffed and began to cry, finally understanding. His small body was then wracked with sobs. "I want her to come back."

Lincoln's heart broke and he reached over to pull Michael into a firm hug; he never wanted to let go. "Me too, Mikey, me too. I'm gonna take care of you, though. We'll never lose each other, I promise." And Lincoln let down his guard, crying out of anger, mournfulness, desperation and fear of what the future would hold for him and his brother. He rubbed circles on Michael's heaving back, whispering "It's okay" and "We're going to be fine" over and over, and made a vow right then to guard and protect him, no matter what it took.

All they had was each other, and Michael was going to need a parent figure as he grew up and matured more than ever. Lincoln would have to provide for him, care for him, keep him out of trouble and then get him out of the trouble he'd inevitablyget into.

Little did Lincoln know, however, that Michael was going to be the one helping _him _out of major trouble in the future.

And as the outside world kept on turning, Michael's room froze and the brothers remained hugging for a very long time, resigning themselves to the only way they were going to be able to take on the big, bad world: together.


End file.
